


I'm Movin' On

by the_impatient_panda



Series: There and Back Again: A Defiance Tale [2]
Category: Defiance (TV)
Genre: AU, Post-Canon, The other side of the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:22:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25493815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_impatient_panda/pseuds/the_impatient_panda
Summary: Companion story to A Decade, about all the folks left on Earth and how they survived in Meh and Nolan's absence.WARNING:INCOMPLETE Some fleshed out, lots of skeleton dialogue, and a bit of sketchy notes. Love it or hate it at your own risk.
Series: There and Back Again: A Defiance Tale [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859401
Kudos: 3





	I'm Movin' On

It was Irisa who first went back to the mines, and purely through pragmatism. 

“There’s Omec tech down there,” she told Amanda as the woman lay on the hospital bed, barely holding back her tears. “And if we don’t secure it, someone else will take it and probably use it against us. Also, the bodies themselves need to be recovered and properly buried.”

“Do it.”

“I’ll go with you,” Datak offered, “And bring my roller. We’ll be able to bring back more.”

“And I will as well,” Berlin added.

“Then let’s go.”

The real prize, though, wasn’t the gulganite they found waiting in cannisters, or the many marvels brought down from the Omec Harvester ship, or even the weapons stacked in crates. 

It was Doctor Yewll. 

The endogene lay shivering on the floor in a pool of translucent gel, naked and weak. 

“Meh!” Datak cried as he ran ahead, grabbing her up to wrap his own coat around her shoulders. “How-! The ship! How did you get off the ship? Is Nolan with you too? Oh, you clever, clever girl, I  _ knew _ -”

“Datak,” Irisa cut in, standing over the tank beside the shivering form. “I don’t think she’s  _ our _ Doctor Yewll.”

“What do you mean?” Datak pausing, glancing down at the insensible form in his arms.

“She’s a clone,” Irisa explained, moving aside a curtain to reveal others. Or parts of others. “We knew the Omec was using her.”

“Oh, Rayehtso....”

“Will she have the Doctor’s memories?”

“I don’t know.”

“Let’s get her back first, then.”

“Why?”

“If she has Yewll’s memories, she’ll be able to save Amanda.” Datak looks away. “The Mayor and I may not be friends, but she is needed by this town. If there is any chance this Yewll can save her, we have to try.”

“And what do we tell everyone?”

“The truth. That this is a clone. A copy. We’ll even tell her that. If she’s half as smart as Meh, she’ll figure it out quick enough. Might as well start with the truth.”

“Not the words I expected from you.” Berlin.

“Yeah, I know.” Not meeting her eyes. “But maybe its time for a change.”

Yewll wakes up in the operating room, with none of her memories but all of her skills intact. She operates on Amanda, then sits down with Irisa and Datak and is told everything that has happened. She’s upset, understandably so, but eventually asks to be alone. Everyone obeys except Datak and Irisa. They plugged her into the machine, they watched her die. Or start to die. Irisa still has hope that Nolan got her out in time with rocketing the ship out into space. 

Irisa thanks her, hugs her, and leaves. Datak stays, and Meh lets him hold her for a little bit. Stamah is jealous, as she’s watching over Amanda in the next room. The next morning, she makes some scathing comment to Meh about it, and to her surprise the endogene actually laughs a little. 

“Stamah Tarr, if I decided to take a Castithan lover, it would not be your husband. Given how magical I’ve heard your chiva is, it would probably be you.”

“...oh.”

“Hm. He said we were friends, and I believe him. But that’s it.”

“...thank you for telling me that.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Noted.”

Amanda wakes up, and discovering Yewll there is briefly excited that Nolan must still be there too. Yewll breaks the truth to her as gently as she can. Its not very gentle. She does apologize. 

After this, Yewll spends more time among people and less time by herself. She visits Datak once or twice a week, and on occasion accepts and invitation to have tea with Stamah. She also spends more time with Amanda. She blames it on everyone else still giving her strange looks as word of her ‘clone status’ spreads, but its also because she really, really likes Amanda. 

Upon seeing Mayor Nicky’s picture a few times, she comments on ‘not being the only Indogene in this town, then’. 

“What?”

“This woman. She’s indogene.”

“No, Mayor Nicky was human.”

“...ah.” Looking upset.

“What?”

“She isn’t human. She’s indogene, with a human ‘skin’ on, so to speak.”

“How can you tell?” 

“Her face never changes. Or at least not in the right ways. The lines and creases are all too consistent. Human skin is elastic in a way that can’t be fully mimicked. See?” Holding up two pictures, where the Mayor has visibly aged. “It probably seemed to happen overnight, right?”

“...yes, yes it did. I remember that.”

“And she probably played it off as ‘it’s been happening, I’m just very good at hiding it.”

“...yes. I think she did.”

“That’s because it did happen overnight. But you humans are very good at not seeing things you don’t want to see.” Shrugging. “I’m sorry, but its the truth. She was an indogene.”

“I thought hiding as a human was looked down upon now.”

“Is it? I wouldn’t know.”

Then the trio came. Its three Indogene’s, one from the Votanis collective, at the word of a clone. They meet with Amanda in her office.

“We have to take the clone,” the tallest one explained coldly. “To be destroyed.”

“Why?”

Clones cheapen life, etc etc etc.

“I don’t know if this helps, but the indogene she was cloned from is gone. She was on the Omec ship that left orbit, saving the rest of the planet.”

“Her sacrifice is noble, but that doesn’t change what must be done.”

“You can’t take her. She’s our doctor and our friend.”

The indogene pauses. “Your doctor?”

Surprised. “Y-yes. The best one in the city. We’ve been growing rapidly now that the mines are open again, and we need her.”

“She has a purpose.”

“It is an abomination.”

“She also has friends.”

“We do not clone.”

“We didn’t. Someone else did. They are now dead, and beyond punishment. Is it fair to punish those who are not at fault?”

A long pause.

“She must be marked.”

“Yes.”

“And if the original returns...”

“If the original returns, then the clone must die.”

“But the odds are unlikely.”

“And time may handle this for us.” Looking at Meh, who has stood quietly to the side this whole time.

“What are you talking about?”

“She has not told you?”

“I was not certain.”

“Be certain, clone. You were unfinished. This body is not complete, and will not be able to continue being for more than a short span of years.”

“What do you mean?” Amanda

“Whoever made her either did shtako work or something else interfered with her making. There are...flaws in her being. We will not fix them, nor will anyone else, because she is a clone.”

“How long does she have.”

“Some years. How many is anyone’s best guess. And her systems fail it will be long and painful and ugly. Do you still wish to keep her?” Turning to the clone. “For that matter, do you wish to stay? You will be marked as a clone, and removing your mark in public will result in your immediate demise. You will not contact the family of your true self or attempt to propagate your life with children or contribute to the propagation of anyone else’s children. You will not leave this city. You will have a restricted and lonely existence. Do you still wish to remain?”

“I do.”

“Why?”

“Because I have purpose here.” Motioning to the mayor. “The first thing I did upon waking was sew this woman’s abdomen shut from a knife wound. Since then I have mended broken bones, assisted in the birth of babies, and cured diseases. This is not a large city, and to be honest I am not sure why my true self stayed here. The skills that I have discovered with this body are many and varied, and she would have been a valuable asset to any organization in the fields of biological or medical research. As her name implies, she was  _ one who understood flesh and marrow _ . That being said...she was an integral part of this community. A place with purpose. It would be my honor to continue that purpose, for as long as I am able or until my true self returns.”

“We must discuss this alone.”

“Of course.”

They decide to let her stay. She must wear a scarlet letter, though. A large red symbol on her shoulder at all times, marking her for what she is. They will also be checking in from time to time, to be sure she is doing as she is told. Yewll agrees. 

Afterwards, Amanda asks Meh a lot of questions about what happened in the surgery. Meh explains what she can, and leaves the rest alone. Definitely about why clones are so anthema, and she thanks Amanda for sticking up for her. 

“I get the feeling I am probably not the easiest person to get along with. Sharp humor and unkind words seem to come very easily to me.”

“Well, that is true.” Laughing a bit. “But you fit in really well here, if that helps.”

“It kind of does.” Clearing her throat. “I don’t know...what we were to each other before, but I hope we can be friends. If you don’t mind having a clone as a friend.”

“No, I don’t.” Smiling widely. The doctor looks away quickly. Damn attractive human....

“Good. I have things to do. I still don’t know what all is in this surgery...”

“Of course. I’ll leave you to it. Irisa said she’d stop by later to check on you.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Datak sticks up for Meh when some of the citizens of Defiance take exception with her being a clone. He continues to support and befriend her, though with a bit more distance than before. “We need you, but you aren’t my Meh.”

“I understand. Thanks anyways.”

“If anyone gives you trouble, you tell me. I’ll take care of it.”

“...I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good.”

At some point, Amanda has been fidgety around Meh for a few days and the Doctor finally has enough with it.

“Ok, what is it?” she asked, sounding almost exactly like her predecessor so much that the Mayor paled. “Seriously, I can’t take the silent staring anymore. What?”

“...I did something to you, once. Something that was necessary but that I deeply regret even now. And while I did technically apologize during it, I didn’t afterwards. I was...too afraid. But even though I did that to you, you still helped when we needed it. You saved Nolan and Irisa even though it meant working with the Omec, and you suffered again because of that.”

“You know that whatever you did, it wasn’t to me. I don’t remember it, and I won’t ever, because this body wasn’t the one that experienced it.”

“I know, I do. Really. I just...it’s been four years, and whatever Irisa says I just don’t think they’re coming home. I can’t believe it anymore. So, I will never get the chance to apologize to your true self. Would it be alright if I apologized to you instead.”

“...I guess.” Looking uncomfortable. “Although, I still don’t know what it is you did...”

Amanda explains about the Omec, and about holding the ‘other’ Meh down to cut a strip from her leg against her will. 

“...wow.” Sitting down. “That’s...uh...”

“Yeah.” Sniffing a bit. “So...I’m sorry. I don’t know if you can ever, ever forgive something like that. But I’m so sorry, and I would do anything to go back and do things differently.”

“You would still have tried to save the Omec girl.”

“But I would have tried harder to explain. To...ask for your help instead of taking it against your will.” Stepping closer. “Please, I...it was wrong. And I’m sorry. That’s all I can say.”

Meh holds up her hands, and turns away slightly. Then turns back. “I can’t speak for my true self, ok? I can guess, but I’m not going to because that’s not fair to her. And the fact is, she might come back and I’m not going to put words in her mouth. But I can tell you what I think.

I think you truly care about this city, and I, as in me the clone, admire you for that. I think you put saving everyone as your top priority, and I think that’s very noble. I think you’re the some selfless person I know, and sometimes your desire to give everyone a second chance worries me but at the end of the day you are a large part of the reason Defiance is still here. Because you care and you save people and you give them second chances. So...whatever happened, it was wrong yes, but you meant well. You were trying to do the right thing. So for whatever its worth, I forgive you.”

“Thanks.” Blushing a bit now. “I...didn’t realize you felt that way about me.”

“I think anyone with half a brain or half a heart would, Amanda.” Shrugging uncomfortably.

“You know, I really thought you would leave after that. The other you, I mean. Just pack up and go. And you didn’t. I mean she didn’t.”

“Well...I’m not surprised.” Looking away.

It wasn’t the first time the Doc had said something like that. When Amanda mentioned that her predecessor nearly left when things were really bad, and then changed her mind when she asked her to stay the reaction had been similar. Find a few others. It makes Amanda curious. She also remembers a few comments made before.

_ And you get a sticker that says ‘teacher’s pet’. See me after class. _

_ You’re adorable. But sure, why not, let’s call it ‘Bluetooth for the brain.’ _

In hindsight, was that...flirting? From Doc Yewll?

This is something for Amanda to consider. 

The theory is, overtime she and the Doctor grow very close. On the cusp of declaring for each other- the clone Yewll gives out. She was not complete, and therefore can’t continue further anymore. Amanda has two lovers during this time, and both end badly. One because he is simply too young and immature and the other because he’s power hungry and more interested in her position than in the relationship. The Doctor is with her through both of them. The town has grown considerably, with new deposities of gulganite being found, and the railway is finally built. Figure out which cities still exist to build a railway to. Irathians have heavily populated the place New York used to be, and trade fairly and openly with Defiance. The Doctor has two assistants as well, one Castithan and one Irathian, both specializing in medicine for their people. There is also a dentist and a pediatrician, and both consult with her regularly. 

“You don’t have to stay,” Meh said as she labored for breath in her seat. “This will pass.”

“I want to,” Amanda replied, gently taking the indogene’s hand. “You shouldn’t be alone when you’re like this.”

“It’s not so bad.”

“You’re not as good a liar as the other you.”

“Hm. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”

“It is. It means even in the nine years you’ve been here, you haven’t gotten enough practice to be good at it.”

“I had...a good example to follow.” Smiling at Amanda.

“Oh, I wish that were true. I’m far from perfect.”

“I know. Just look at your taste in men.”

“Touche.”

“But...you’re still...the most honest person...I know...”

“Stop talking. You’re making it harder to recover.”

“I’m not...going to...recover. Not really.”

“Shh, don’t say that.”

“It’s true.”

“Then I better make the most every moment we’ve got.”

“...guess so.”

Eventually, a group of Indogene’s come.

“Are you ready?” 

“I am.”

“Then its time. You have had purpose. You have fulfilled the life your true self was meant to live. You have not cheapened her life. Well done.”

“Thanks. I had some help.” Looking to Amanda.

“I don’t understand.” Amanda.

“We’re here to shorten her suffering, and dispose of the body afterwards.”

“Why?”

“I’m a clone. Can’t have this gorgeous bod falling into the wrong hands afterwards.”

“Correct, if strangely put.” The indogene leader. “If there are any who would wish to say goodbye-”

“There are.” Turning to her assistant. “Get Irisa and Brelin. And Stamah and Datak and...and...” Starting to cry, can’t even process it all.

“I’ll take care of it.” Leaving at a run. 

“You have until tonight.”

The line of people who come to visit Meh through the day is long and varied. Families she helped start. Citizens she saved. The foreman of the mines comes, to thank her for all she’s done. They don’t know how they’ll manage without her. ‘I’m leaving you in good hands.’ Her assistants, who are both doctors themselves. ‘Not as good as yours.’ Amanda holds it together until the end, and stays with Meh through the end. She loses it when the leader tells her afterwards, “It is not how you are born or where you are from that makes you a person. It is how you are treated. How you are loved. She was not born real, you and this City made her real. Made her a person. Thank you for that. Thank you for proving us wrong.”

He explains, they were quite certain this would not work. THat the clone would not be able to live as an individual as an openly acknowledged clone. That they town would treat her as less than she deserved. And if that happened, they were going to come and take her away. To be kindly killed and destroyed. But it didn’t. Amanda just loses it then, and Berlin comes to the rescue. She trades off later with Irisa. 

The next day, Irisa’s son shows up, Luke, to ‘help her out if she needs it’. 

“Come to keep an eye on your Auntie? Make sure I don’t spend the whole day weeping alone.”

“Yeah. But mom said if you cry its ok. Sometimes its the only way to let the pain out.”

“She’s pretty smart, your mom.”

Beaming. “Yeah, she is.”

During that time, Datak and Stamah have become somewhat ‘regular stand up citizens’, though Datak is still involved with the criminal lords. He works with Irisa to keep things to an ‘acceptable’ level in the Hollows. It isn’t a perfect system, but it works for now. Alak is extremely well respected in town, and he lives near the Lawkeeper’s office with Irisa, Luke, and he and Irisa’s two children Josh and Sukar (both boys.) Berlin has two daughters, Kenya (Amanda is the god-mother) and Danielle (after his favorite aunt). Berlin and Irisa are co-Lawkeepers, and have six or seven deputies between them. Alak is an on-call deputy, and there are about ten others like him who occasionally get called into service to help search out or apprehend dangerous criminals. Occasionally to help find missing people/children or assist in search and rescues.

A few weeks after Doc dies, Amanda, like she has many times over the years, comes to Irisa and asks, “Are you still sure?”

“Always.” Irisa’s gaze never wavers when she answers. She is absolute in her certainty. “He is alive.” Then, after a pause, for the first time she adds, “And so’s the Doctor, probably.”

It was exactly what Amanda needed to hear. 

  
  



End file.
